New Delhi: Indian Army and IGNOU today
signed an MoU to grant degrees to soldiers, with the aim of
providing a second career option to them.
"We have signed the MoU by which we will ensure that
all army men who retire from now onwards have graduation
degrees, which will enable them to go for a second career and
also enhance the amount of workforce in the country," Army
Chief General Deepak Kapoor told reporters after the signing
of the MoU.
The project named `Gyandeep`, will help to confer a
graduation degree to soldiers who join the force just after
school. Based on US` community college system, the project is
expected to benefit the 1.2 million soldiers in the Army.
The MoU was signed by Army`s Adjutant General Lt Gen
Mukesh Sabharwal and IGNOU Vice Chancellor Professor V N
Rajasekharan Pillai in the presence of the Army Chief at South
Block today.
Under the project, soldiers would be provided with
bachelors degrees in arts, commerce, management and various
other disciplines, which will be market driven and help them
to secure jobs for the jawans.
Under the new arrangement, IGNOU will register Army`s
regimental training centres and schools as `community
colleges`. The Army-IGNOU Community Colleges will continue
functioning as autonomous bodies conducting examinations and
their courses.
Bureau Report
